


Sword Saint

by My Dying Princess (KimKimKimmyKimKim)



Category: Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe, Fluff and Angst, M/M, Redemption, Revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-13
Updated: 2014-10-13
Packaged: 2018-02-21 01:49:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2450207
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KimKimKimmyKimKim/pseuds/My%20Dying%20Princess
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>MK9 AU in which Kenshi and Ermac take a more active role in the aftermath of the second tournament. May seem OOC. Will contain M/M!</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sword Saint

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is... I've been working on this for a while now. This takes place during MK9, but will borrow some things from both timelines (obviously), so please don't try to connect it with anything. Will mostly be told through Kenshi's POV, but there'll be others, too. 
> 
> This story will contain violence, mild language, and some eventual slash. So if you don't like any of that, get out while you still can!
> 
> All characters and properties belong to their respective owners.

I arrived at the Coliseum to hear my name being announced.

“The next fight will be: Kenshi versus Reiko!”

I grit my teeth involuntarily after hearing that voice. It was one that would haunt me for the rest of my days.

_Shang Tsung._

I couldn’t believe how close I’ve come to getting vengeance on him. The idea of finally seeing him dead at my feet adrenalized me. But I couldn’t let him distract me. Calmly I walked to the center of the Arena.

I could sense some strong energy near me. One source in particular stood out to me; it felt like a large collection of souls in one body.

Huh, so he was closer than I thought. But I did my best to push him out of my mind. I couldn’t screw up now.

“I hope you’re ready to die, blind man.” My challenger, or Reiko, said.

If this were a younger, less blind me, I may have had a retort for that. But I’ve grown past taunting my opponents. Arrogance is what led me to this fate in the first place. Instead I readied myself, sensing an attack from him.

He charged at me head-on, but I saw this coming and swiftly stepped to the side. Responding quickly, he came at me again with a flurry of punches. I easily blocked his assault and, in frustration, he left himself open. I didn’t hesitate to counter with a few hits of my own. My fists connected with his jaw, and he let out a pained grunt.

I could hear the audience booing me, but I shrugged it off. Instead I pictured the dissatisfied look on Shang Tsung’s face and smirked.

In my moment of triumph, I barely managed to dodge the shurikens hurled in my direction. I dropped my guard too quickly, however, and felt a blade graze my cheek and arm. I cursed under my breath. _‘Stay focused, Kenshi,’_ I thought to myself, feeling blood seep from my wounds.

This time I went onto the offensive and telekinetically reached for Reiko, but the Outworlder’s energy suddenly disappeared. I stopped my attack in surprise. _Where did you go…_

I heard footsteps land behind me, and before I could turn around, I was struck in the back of the head. Hard enough to make me fall flat on my face. I growled in pain and frustration. _No! I won’t lose to you!_

Ignoring the dull pain forming in my head, I stood up and unsheathed Sentō. I went back onto the defensive and waited for him to come to me.

Sure enough, he teleported again, but I wasn’t falling for it this time. I thrust my sword behind me and heard the other man yell in pain as Sentō impaled him through the shoulder.

However, the second I pulled the katana out of him, Reiko recovered much too quickly after being stabbed and lifted me up. I tried to shake his grip on me, but it was no use. There was nothing I could do as he furiously power bombed me, yelling something I couldn’t understand as he did so.

I felt the impact immediately as my back crashed onto the dirt. My ribs collided with my insides and shook my spine, making me cough up blood. _‘This isn’t good. At this rate, he’s gonna kill me,’_ I thought worriedly, snarling in agony.

As I struggled to get up, however, I heard something over the drone of the audience and Reiko’s labored breathing. I heard mocking laughter coming from Shang Tsung’s direction.

I had ignored the sorcerer up to this point, but with the pain I felt and the chances of me losing this fight, I lost what little composure I had left. I raised my sword and turned toward Shang Tsung, completely forgetting about my adversary.

In that one distracted second, Reiko had summoned a huge hammer and swung it into my side, hard enough to knock me off of my feet. If my ribs weren’t already broken, I was positive they were now. I lost my grip on Sentō, my arm completely shattered. I nearly landed on top of the weapon as my back hit the ground, which sent another wave of pain through it. I wanted to scream, but instead I grit my teeth. I refused to give that bastard the satisfaction of seeing me suffer.

The crowd erupted with cheers, chanting the words ‘kill him!’ Even the emperor was demanding my death. Despite exhausting himself, Reiko eagerly approached my broken body.

I used my good arm to summon my sword, but the moment I grasped it, Reiko stepped on my hand, pinning it to the ground.

Once he lifted his hammer, I began to panic. Acting quickly, I used all of my strength to lift my broken arm and press my hand to my head. Without knowing where I’d end up, I teleported out of the Coliseum before my head could be crushed. 

* * *

I almost collapsed from exhaustion the minute I knew I was far away from the tournament. I had no idea where I was, but I didn’t sense any life here, so I was safe for the moment.

Well, maybe not as safe as I could be. Judging by the pain I felt and the blood in my mouth, I was bleeding internally. If I didn’t find help soon, I would die here. I put my katana away and began searching for civilization. I knew this was going to be painful, but I suppose I should’ve prepared for something like this. _‘Maybe I should’ve stayed with Raiden and the others…_ ’ I thought to myself, suddenly wishing I wasn’t such a loner. An ally would be a big help right now…

My thoughts drifted back to the fight. I’ve made plenty of mistakes before, but this was my worst blunder yet. Besides running like a coward, I let that damn sorcerer make a fool out of me. My face contorted into a deep scowl just thinking about that smug face of his.

The next time I saw him, I wouldn’t let him slip past me again. He’d suffer a slow, painful death. That I can promise.

I couldn’t blame him entirely though. I let my pride get the better of me, something I thought I’d grown out of. And my ancestors were still suffering because of my immaturity.

I felt ashamed. Even after everything I’ve been through, I couldn’t learn one simple lesson.

Maybe I deserved to die in that fight.

Realizing where my thoughts were going, I mentally slapped myself. I was _not_ going to start feeling sorry for myself. I hated being pitied to begin with. I pushed those thoughts away and focused on my task. Hopefully I could find someone before I collapsed. 

* * *

I feel like I’ve been walking for hours, especially now that I’ve slowed my pace. It seemed like Outworld was nothing but wastelands. Most of the terrain I had passed was completely devoid of life, and none of it felt very different.

I wish I could say that now, though. While the other places were barren, there was a shoreline here splashing against my ankles, and I could smell smoldering ashes. The aroma was weak though, so I guess whatever’s burning isn’t close to me.

But this was nothing compared to the amount of corpses littering this place. I could ignore it at first, but I was overwhelmed as I ventured further. The stench was enough to make a normal person sick, but with my senses, I’m surprised it hasn’t knocked me out. Especially since I was already weakened.

I continued walking, hoping to get out of here soon, when I tripped over a corpse. I landed hard on my ribs, knocking the air out of me and making me cough up more blood. Dead things had no energy, so I really was walking blind here. I tried to get up, but I was too exhausted. Every attempt just caused me more pain. I decided to just lie here, hoping I’d be able to gather at least a teeny bit of strength.

While I was fighting to stay conscious, I heard footsteps approaching me. As they got closer, I could sense souls. Lots of souls in one body.

_Shit._

Somehow, it didn’t occur to me that he might come to finish me off. I brandished my sword and shakily held it toward my attacker. Despite my best efforts, my body was giving out on me, and he was getting closer. I didn’t even have the strength to hold my sword up anymore. _This is it, I’m going to die…_

Knowing I had lost, I closed my eyes, cursing my enemy’s name as I felt death’s cold embrace.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! 
> 
> Any comments and critiques are welcome; don't be afraid to point out any mistakes/flaws you see, it would be very helpful to me!! :)


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